System of electrical distribution.



W, A. TURBAYNB. SYSTEM OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION. APPLICATION mun 00130, 1903.

I i I QJZZZorawysn Patented A r. 20, 1909.

UNITED STATES PATENT ornrcn WILLIAM A. TURBAYNE, OF LANOASTER NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES M. GOULD, F

' NEW YORK, N. Y.

SYSTEM OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Application filed October 30, 1903. Serial No; 179,146.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \YILLIAM A. TUR- BAYNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lancaster, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Systems of Electrical Distribution, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to systems of electrical distribution wherein the supply voltage is subject to variations,,and the electro-motive-force impressed across the translating troducing and withdrawing counter electromotive-force to and from the ystem as the voltage of the supp y circuit increases and decreases.

The object of the invention is to provide such asystem with means whereby the electro-motive-force across the translating devices is maintained at a practically constant value, notwithstanding variations in the source of supply, while the increment and decrement of the counter clectro-motive-forcc added to or withdrawn from the work circuit will be of small value, and the change of voltage in the work circuit occasioned thereby will not be easily detected in the translating devices.

The invention is'hereinafter described and shown in the drawings, by way of example, in connection with an incandescent electric lighting system involving the use of a storage battery, it being known that the elcctro-motive-force across the battery varies over comparatively wide limits in accordance with the condition of charge and dischar e, rising while charging and falling upon ischargc. The improvements are not however limited in their application to'such a systemv In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an electric lighting system embodying the invention, showing by full and dotted lines diifcrcnt positions of the regulating contact device. Fi 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view showing another ortion of the regulating contact device.

ig. 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic .view.

on an enlarged scale, showing the position of the regulating contact devicewhilc in transit from one to the other of the count-er cell contacts.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

- A represents a dynamo of any suitable construction, B an ordinary storage battery or batteries connected across the terminals of the dynamo by conductors a a, and C translating devices in this instance representing incandescent lamps connected in parallel across the two sides d d of the work circuit. One side. (1 of the work circuit is connected directly to one terminal of the battery and dynamo, while the other side d thereof is connected indirectly to the other terminal of the battery and dynamo through the regulating device as follows: devices in the work circuit is regulated by 111 15 represents a series of counter electromotive-force cells connected in series with the terminal a.- of the dynamo, and F a series of insulated cont-act pieces which are connected to the end terminals and junctions of the counter electro-motive-force cells.

G is a conductor electrically connected to the other side (1 of thc work circuit and preferably in theform of a contact strip arranged in iarallel 'relation to the series of counter cel contact pieces 1*.

A regulating contact device II is adapted to electrically connect the conductor G with either of the. counter cell contact pieces F to com letc the work circuit through one or more of tie counter electro-motivc-force cells or independently thereof. The regulating contact device is preferably movable relative to the counter cell contacts and conductor G, and can be moved manually, or preferably, automatically by any of the well known means known to the art for this purpose. When the regulating contactdevice is in electricalconnection with the outermost counter cell contact piece F, as shown in Fig. 2, the electric current of the work circuit traverses all of the counter electro-motiveforce cells, whereas all or a art of the counter elcctro-motive force cel s are cut out of the workcircuit accordingly as the regulating contact device connects with the innermost counter cell contact piece F, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, or one of the intermediate counter cell contact picc'es.

As each counter cell when charged has an electro-motive-force of approximately two volts, the change of voltage in the work circuit would be plainly discernible in the translating devices especially where incandescent lamps are employed, if the full voltage of a'counter electro-motive-force cell was suddenly withdrawn from the work circuit. To avoidsuch a perceptible changr of voltage in the Work circuit and also to prevent a sudden discharge of a counter electro motive-force-eell, and consequent injury of the contact pieces by connecting the terminals of the counter cell with a contact of low resistance, the connection between the conductor G and counter cell contacts'is effooted as follows: The regulating contact device, see-Fig. 3, comprises 'twocontact pieces h h of conducting material which are connected by a resistance material h? and are s 'aced apart far enough to connect two of tlie counter cell contact pieces F through the resistance 7L2, .while each contact piece it his narrower than the insulating space or material between the counter cell contacts F, so that they chnnot in any osition of the regulating contact device, bri( ge two of said -.contacts and short circuit the counter electro-motive-force cell connected thereto.'

' The'regulating contactdevice is, in all positions thereof, in electricalconnection withthe conductor G, preferably by means 'of athird contact )ieceph which makes sliding contact with t e conductor G, and is prefer:- ab lyconnected to the central point of the resistance k The operation of the system is as follows: The normal'voltage across the work circuit and translating devices should be the voltage of the battery upon discharge, and the voltage across the work circuit should be maintained at this value notwithstanding,clianges inthe supply voltage. Assuming the battery to be connected to the work circuit but disconnected from the source of initial supply, 71. e. the dynamo A, the regulating contact device H will connect the innermost of the counter cell contacts F and theconductor Gas indicated by dotted lines-in Fig. 1. In this position of the regulating contact. device the translating devices are connected directly across thebattery and the current flows from the positive terminal of the battery through said counter cell contact Ffregulating" con-- tact device H, conductor G, translating devices C back to'the negative terminal of the .-battery. As the working current traverses both halves of the resistance h of the regulating contact device in parallel, the resistance to the flow of the current is negligible, and the normal eleetro-motive-force will'be impressed across the translating. devices. If

now the initial source of supply is connected era-2c? across the translating devices, irrespective of the number thereof-in operation in the work circuit. 'l'he electro-motlve-torce across the terminals of the counter electro-motive-force V cells-does not rise instantly to its full value, as the cells are inserted into the work circuit,

but builds up gradually, and the effect thereof upon the translating devices is not notice Whenthe battery is fully charged and. its electro-motive-force is at its highest value it is assumed that all of'the counter electro-motive-force cells will beinterposed in the Work circuit and the regulating contact device in position to connect the outermost counter cell contaht F and conductor G, as indicated in Fig.v 2. The current through the translating devices'then traverses all of the counter electro'-motiveforce cells, which thus attain a charged condition. If the electro motiwe-force ot'theworl: circuit diminishes oil-account of a diminution of the electro-m'otive force of theycharging source, or for any other reason, the regulating contact devi cle o crates to withdraw a sufficient number-05g tae counter electro-motive-force cells to restore the electro-motive-force of the work circuit to the normal. As the contact pieces h h of the re ulating contact device 1 are narrower than t e insulating spaces or material between the counter cell contact p eces F, as before explained, the former can- 7 not bridge two adj acentgcounter cell contact pieces and absolutely shbrtscircuit the counter electro-motive-force cells to which they are connected, but the counter cells must discharge through the resistance h 'of the regu- 'lating contact device and the current thus opposed will not reach sufiicient'inagnitude to ends/n 'er the contacts. As the regulating contact device moves from one counter cell con-tact F-to the other, its contact pieces h connect the counter cell contact pieces F connected. to opposite terminals of a counter electro-motive-force cell and the latter, will discharge through the resistance h ofthe regulating contactdevice, the local current being thereby limited to a definite predetermined value which Will not be sufiicient to endanger the contacts. There will be a regu lar local fall of potential throughout the resistance k of the regulating contact device, and when the latter is operated to bridge any two of the contacts F connected to opposite terminals of a counter electro-motive-force cell, as indicated in Fig. 1, as the contact piece 71,3 thereof is connected centrally with the resistance, only half-of the full voltage of the counter cell will be withdrawn from the work circuit and the full voltage thereof will not be withdrawn until both terminals of the resistance h are 'placed'in' connection with one of the contact pieces F, as indicated in Fig. 2. Thus the change of voltage in the workcircuit at any one time is only equal to half the value of the full voltage of the counter cell, resulting in a negligible effect on the translating devices.

I claim as my invention 1 1. In a system of electrical distribution, the combination of a work circuit, a variable source of current supply therefor, and means for regulating the voltage of the work circuit, comprising counter-electromotive-force cells connected to said supply source, and a resistance connected at an intermediate point with said work circuit and having terminals which in one position connect the 0 posite terminals of one of said countere ectromotive-force cells and in another posi- 15 tion both'connect at the same time with the opposite terminals of two of said countere ectromotive-force cells, whereby the drop of voltage in the work circuit when a counterelectromotive-force cell is cut out of the circuit will be less than the voltage of such cell, substantially as set forth. r

2. In a system of electrical distribution, the combination with a circuit and a source of current supply therefor, ofgenerators of counter-electromotive-force, and means for cutting units of counter-electromotive-force into and out of said circuit to regulate the voltage thereof, comprising insulated contacts each connected to the opposite terminals of. two of said counter-electroniotiveforce generators, and a contact device having two contact pieces at opposite terminals of a resistance medium which is connected between its terminals with said circuit, said contact pieces of said contact deviceconnecting at one time with the same insulated contact and at another time connecting two adjacent insulated contacts .together' but only through said resistance medium, substantially as setforth.

In a system of electrical distribution, the combination with a work circuit, and a variable source of current supply therefor, of means for regulating the voltage of said circuit comprising counter-clectromotive-force cells connected in series to one side of said circuit and having insulated terminal contacts, a contact bar arranged opposite to said terminal contacts and connected with the other side to said circuit, and a movable contact device for successively cutting said counter-electromotive-force cells into and out of said circuit provided with a pair of contact pieces connected by a resistance medium and adapted to contact with said terminal contacts and a third contact piece connected with the intermediate portion of said resistance medium and engaging said contact bar, said pair' of contact pieces in'one position of said contact device connecting opposite ends of said resistance to the same terminal contact and in another position of said contact device connecting two adjacent terminal contacts but only through said resistance medium, substantially as set forth.

4. In a system of electrical distribution,

the combination of a work circuit, a variable source of current supply therefor, and means for regulating the voltage of the work circuit, comprising counter-olectro-motive-force cells connected in series to one side of said work circuit and having insulated terminal con tacts and a contact device for successively cutting said counter-electro-motivc-force cells into and out of said work circuit provided with a resistance medium connected between its ends to the other side of said work circuit and provided with two contact pieces at its ends adapted to contact with said terminal contacts, said end contact pieces being of less width than the space between adjacent ter minal contacts and being spaced apart a dis tance less than the width of one terminal contact, whereby they can simultaneously engage the same terminal contact but can only connect two adjacent terminal contacts through said resistance, substantially set forth.

Witness my hand this 19th day of October,

WILLIAM A. TURBAY NE. Witnesses 'CHAs. W. PARKER,

C. M. BENTLEY. 

